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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27352426">Eagle Eyed || Draco Malfoy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MightyWallJericho/pseuds/MightyWallJericho'>MightyWallJericho</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bloodlines Universe [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, F/F, F/M, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:00:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,153</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27352426</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MightyWallJericho/pseuds/MightyWallJericho</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Vega family, one of the first families to join the Order of the Phoenix, do not get the limelight that they deserved. Of course, since their wit was not as strong as other's bravery, they would go unnoticed for all time.</p><p>The Malfoy family, one of the first families to join Lord Voldemort, get none of the hate that they deserve in the wizarding world. Since they're so high up in the ministry, Lucius Malfoy may never be punished for his wrongdoings.</p><p>Elodie Vega, the only daughter of Marianna and Lois Vega, had everything going for her. Getting into the house of her parents, not falling off her broom the second day of flying lessons, and most definitely not angering any of the people who would wish to harm her.</p><p>When life comes to a screeching halt after she stumbles upon none other than Draco Malfoy in the haunted girl's restroom, Elodie learns that it is not always the case that a child is like their parents.</p><p>Finding friendship in the best of times can be difficult, but how about finding love in a war that you don't know already began?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bloodlines Universe [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997563</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</p><p>[ ʜ ᴏ ɢ ᴡ ᴀ ʀ ᴛ ꜱ , ꜰ ɪ ʀ ꜱ ᴛ ʏ ᴇ ᴀ ʀ ]</p><p>
  <em>The beginning of an age. A first year's journey is always one to remember. Now that the famous Harry Potter is at school, what is to change? Organized chaos is how Hogwarts became a household favorite, but sometimes mess and destruction is not how a student will learn. With relaxed rules and regulations that allow students to roam free, the divided school was bound to become a breeding ground for success.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The school of the ages, Hogwarts holds legacies that no other school can compare to. A rise of second and third generation Hogwarts Alumni sending their own children back to the school that started it all has created a diverse web of pureblood and half-blood families.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Almost in a different world of their own, first years stick together. While all years and houses are close, that first year at Hogwarts is of a different breed. Most pureblood families never went to school before entering Hogwarts. Getting used to the atmosphere of switching classes and staircases is what sets them apart.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>This year will be a fickle one indeed.</em>
</p><p>·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Ah, Letters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</p><p><b>The life of a witch</b> wasn't all that bad, but when you have to learn how to face your fears in a school that you know doesn't have enough security, it would put a dent in your optimism. While my opinions on my general well being in a place I didn't know were overshadowed by my great desire to learn, my anxieties still had some hold over me.</p><p>All my life I have waited for the day I got my Hogwarts letter. Nothing would make my parents more proud than to have me go to school and excel in the same school that they had. Making them proud would always be a primary goal of mine, not that it was very hard to do so. Members of the Vega family had their own ways of being the best, whether it be in academics or athletics.</p><p>Just like any other day in the summer, I woke up at eight o' clock in the morning to go down and eat my breakfast before my father started on his paperwork for the day. The neverending cycle of our days didn't bother me, although some days would blur together. It was the way of the Vega family, functioning in a punctual manner.</p><p>Arriving in the kitchen exactly fifteen minutes after I woke up, I could see my father cooking breakfast, just as he did every single midsummer morning.</p><p>My father, a man of precise ministry work, was the opposite while in his home and near his family. I don't think I would have been able to stand him if he were the same as his work self. Respected, but cold and demanding, Lois Vega worked at the very top of the ministry. While not the minister for magic himself, his work did have a direct role in how wizarding law is carried out. One could call him a judge of sorts, but he wished to be called an attorney for those who didn't have a chance or a choice.</p><p>"Big day today, little one," my father said as he flipped a pancake on the skillet.</p><p>"What do you have planned?" I ask. There were many things that we could do, but today it was raining and casting a charm every hour would become tedious. <em>We really need to buy some of those enchanted coats.</em></p><p>"Oh, you'll love it, darling," I let out a deep sigh, "Please, have some faith in my madness. You always love the things I have planned, Elodie."</p><p>"Have you finally bought enchanted jackets?" my father shook his head, "Well, you should. If you would just let me I would pay for them with my own money. You forget that I don't have a wand and I can't use magic yet."</p><p>"You'll be casting those charms soon enough. Just wait until September. Aw, my little girl in Hogwarts. I never thought that this year would come. I thought you were going to stay a baby forever," Laughing, my father sets down a pancake on my plate, "Hopefully you and Luna will be Ravenclaws like your old men. We'll see the Lovegoods once you get your letter. Come to think of it, Xenophilius said that Luna hasn't gotten her letter yet either. When the two of you get yours, make sure that you tell each other. I don't know when I'll be back in work."</p><p>"Tell that stupid boss of yours that he needs to let you back in the office or else I'll be coming down to have a <em>chat</em> with him," my mum was standing by the stairs, an annoyed look in her eyes.</p><p>"How did you make Ravenclaw again?" my father questioned, looking almost shocked at her comments, "What's got your knickers in a knot today, sweetie?"</p><p>"That stupid minister just called in and he says he wants you to bloody stay home for another bloody month. I told him no, obviously, but that doesn't change the fact that he keeps on trying to get you to break and resign since he can't legally fire you," I sigh, knowing where this was going.</p><p>We had been having problems with my father's work for some time now, with Cornelius Fudge not liking how my father ran his work. Since my father had gained so much time and awards in the ministry and having been appointed for life by the previous minister, he could not be fired unless there was proof that he had committed a crime, which he had not. Fudge wanted my father out so he could fill his absence with someone that would go along with whatever he said.</p><p>The corruption in the ministry was already ridiculous, but my father is a reasonable man. He doesn't usually go against the minister, but when he does, it usually means that everyone goes against the minister.</p><p>"He must know that I'm here to say, Marianna. I've been in that spot for fifteen years," my mother sighed and put on her coat. "Leaving already?"</p><p>"I think it's time that Cornelius learns who he's dealing with. I'll call up the Delacours if I must. My brother would not stand for such a thing in Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France," she rants. <em>It would be nice to see my cousins again. Fleur is so pretty, even prettier than most with Veela ancestry. I wonder what she is doing. I should write her a letter, see what she's up to in Beauxbatons.</em></p><p>"Just make sure that you don't get yourself into any trouble, sweetheart!" My father calls out as mum leaves the house. "Women, you gotta love them."</p><p>"What would you do without mum standing up for you?" I snark, causing father to hiss and put the next pancake on my plate. "What? You know that she does. Fights every battle so that you don't have to."</p><p>"I can stand up for myself, Elodie," he defends.</p><p>"Sure, sure you can, father."</p><p>·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·'</p><p><b>With light pouring in from </b>my opened windows, I watch as my owl comes through. Awina had been my eleventh birthday present. We got along quite well considering the fact that nobody had been able to touch her in weeks. She simply hooted before dropping a letter into my hands, rubbing at the door. I sighed, grabbing one of her favorite treats to give to her.</p><p>"You're going to get fat if you eat these all the time. If you get fat, you won't be able to send mail. Then you'll be bored and want more treats that make you get even fatter. It's a never ending cycle, Awina," I complain, allowing her to eat the owl treat. "What would we do without <em>you</em>-"</p><p>Cutting myself off, I see who the letter had come from. <em>Ms. E. Vega, the tower by the lake, 14 Thespian Court, Merlin's Valley.</em></p><p>Running down the stairs, I see my father and my mother chatting in our living room, looking quite surprised that I had run down the stairs, as I never would attempt such a thing with my horrid coordination. A bright, glowing smile was plastered on my face as I hurried over to them with my letter.</p><p>"I got my letter!" I exclaimed, holding it up in the air, "I got my Hogwarts letter!"</p><p>Both of my parents cheered with me, my father taking the letter and opening it for himself, looking to see what was inside.</p><p>"Lois! Give her back her letter!" my mother reprimands her husband, taking the letter away from him. He whined, looking defeated as I took the letter back for myself. Taking in one last deep breath, I look to see what is on the first page.</p><p>
  <em>HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore</em>
</p><p>
  <em>(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dear Ms. Vega,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yours sincerely,</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Minerva McGonagall</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Deputy Headmistress</em>
</p><p>Overjoyed, I turn the letter over, this time reading the contents out loud.</p><p>
  <em>"HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY</em>
</p><p>
  <em>UNIFORM</em>
</p><p>
  <em>First-year students will require:</em>
</p><p>
  <em>1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear</em>
</p><p>
  <em>3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>COURSE BOOKS</em>
</p><p>
  <em>All students should have a copy of each of the following:</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>by Miranda Goshawk</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A History of Magic</em>
</p><p>
  <em>by Bathilda Bagshot</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Magical Theory</em>
</p><p>
  <em>by Adalbert Waffling</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration</em>
</p><p>
  <em>by Emeric Switch</em>
</p><p>
  <em>One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi</em>
</p><p>
  <em>by Phyllida Spore</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Magical Drafts and Potions</em>
</p><p>
  <em>by Arsenius Jigger</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them</em>
</p><p>
  <em>by Newt Scamander</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection</em>
</p><p>
  <em>by Quentin Trimble</em>
</p><p>
  <em>OTHER EQUIPMENT</em>
</p><p>
  <em>1 wand</em>
</p><p>
  <em>1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>1 set glass or crystal phials</em>
</p><p>
  <em>1 telescope</em>
</p><p>
  <em>1 set brass scales</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS</em>
</p><p>
  <em>ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yours sincerely,</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions"</em>
</p><p>Looking up at the two adults in the room, I give them one last smile before giving them a tight hug, beyond happy that I would be able to get to go to school at last. I had waited my entire life to go to a real school, with all of my friends being able to see me every single day instead of just writing letters every week or month. For once, I would be able to have kids my age around me, which didn't happen at home since I am an only child.</p><p>"Do you have word from Xeno yet on whether or not Luna has gotten her letter?" My mum asks my father, who nods. "Has she gotten her letter."</p><p>"Came in right this morning, sweetheart," My father kisses my head and laughs, "When do you all want to go to Diagon Alley? The Lovegoods are free all week."</p><p>"Tomorrow would be nice. Getting to see those two again is all I want," I mumble into his chest, "Plus, that means we can beat some of the crowds. Luna and I wake up pretty early compared to you old people."</p><p>"Oh yeah, baby, call us old right now, you'll be wanting to be old like us soon," mum slapped father on the arm. "Hey! It just means that she'll be able to use magic whenever she wants. How fun was it when <em>we</em> used magic outside of school for the first time. Last time I checked you had a blast, Marianna, and you begged me to take you out again to show you all of the cool stuff we could get away with."</p><p>She just whined under her breath and gently took my letter from me. "We can put this somewhere safe, so that you'll have it when you're <em>old</em> like <em>us,</em>" She glared at father, "Your uncles will be pleased that you got accepted into Hogwarts. They will want to know all about it. So will cousins Fleur and Gabrielle. Write to them, Elodie, and make sure that you brag about Hogwarts as much as I did to your uncles in my youth."</p><p>"Of course, mum," she smiled, kissing me on both cheeks. "I'll go do that now!"</p><p>·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·'</p><p>
  <em>Dear Fleur,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I finally got my letter to Hogwarts! I wish I were going to the same school as you so we could hang out, but at least we'll both have the same holidays. You should come over sometime so we can hang out by the ponds. I know you love them as much as I do.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>What have you been doing over the summer? I know you have schoolwork to do, but what else have you been doing with your spare time? There has to be something. Mum and father won't tell me anything. Quite annoying, really. Dad snatched the letter as soon as I came down the stairs with it as well.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Are there any cute boys at </em>
  <em>Beauxbatons? Come on, you can tell me.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wish I could see you more,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lodie</em>
</p><p>·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·'</p><p>
  <em>Dear Gabrielle,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Since my letter finally got here I've realized that you'll be the only cousin not in school. That sucks. Too bad you're the baby. In a few years you'll be like us, learning magic and wanting to tell everyone about whatever you're doing in your life.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Just make sure to not let that cat scratch up your shoes again. I think auntie Apolline will get mad at me if I don't remind you, so here we go. Reminded. Put it up somewhere. Muggles use these things called thumbtacks to keep stuff up. Like messages. Pin this and a message to yourself to one of those boards. Make sure you don't forget.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I know you want to know about all of the drama at school, so I'll tell you once I get there. All cute boys will be listed and if you get the chance you can interrogate them all.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Love you baby cousin,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lodie</em>
</p><p>·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·'</p><p><b>Sending out those two letters, </b>I bask in the quiet of my room. Something deep inside of me said that this year would be different. Well, of course it would be different, I was going to school for the first time. No, this feeling was not like the others.</p><p>It felt like hope.</p><p>·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·'</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Power</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><b>While I usually ate my</b> breakfast quite slowly, my fingers could not pick my utensils up faster. Scarfing down almost all of my pancakes in two or three bites, I finished in less than five minutes, running back up the stairs to get to my room at the very top of the east towers that looked out over the many ponds that lined our valley home.</p><p>No burning sun or frigid temperatures could stop me from getting into my closet at once, looking for the best outfit to meet Luna in. We had been friends for so long, yet our time together mostly consisted of when our fathers were meeting each other for work and needed for us to hang out. I didn’t mind the odd little friendship we had begun, but I did wish that we could see each other more than once a month.</p><p>Blonde just like the rest of her family, I could only imagine what Luna would think up for an outfit on this special occasion. Would it be a raven feather jacket? She always had a way to be on the extreme side of everything, but in the end she was the most loyal girl I had ever met, even topping people like Fleur and Gabrielle, who were both dangerously loyal. Luna’s style had always intrigued me and at one point she tried to teach me how she did things.</p><p>“I do hope Awina gets those letters out by tonight,” I say to myself as I grab a navy blue jacket from my walk-in closet, “I don’t want to have them arrive late. Father would have to take time out of his day to send them over to Hogwarts. Wouldn’t be very punctual with the news either.”</p><p>Looking out at the shades of blue and black shirts that littered my closet, I pick one of my long sleeved black shirts and put it on. Feeling like it would be too cold in the shops of Diagon Alley, I place one of my plaid spaghetti strap dresses over the black shirt. While I did not know if Luna would be showing up in something <em> normal </em> or not, I knew that I would be wearing something fashionable like always.</p><p>Shifting through some of my older shoes, I found a new pair that mum had gotten me for my eleventh birthday. Simple black flats always looked good with my navy blue outfits, so I chose to wear that pair for my day out.</p><p>I had taken far too long on my hair, but the end result was worth it. Short, but still curled in the right ways, all of my baby hairs curling at my hairline. Normally I would take half the amount of time I took today to get myself ready, but I let myself off the hook, knowing that I could just go to sleep earlier instead of working myself up over something as silly as my hair.</p><p>“Flip of a coin,” I mutter, flipping one of the muggle coins in my room to choose what handbag I would bring. It landed on the gold one, so that was the one that I chose to bring with me for the day. “Damn useful for more than just muggle trips.”</p><p>Attempting to get some lip gloss off the shelf, I accidentally cut my finger on our sharp ledges, drawing a small amount of blood. Hissing under my breath I wash away the blood before going downstairs, ready to go by floo powder.</p><p>“Everyone ready?” Father asks, making sure that our fireplace was ready as well, “Uhm, I’ll go first even though I hate this.”</p><p>“Don’t be dramatic, Lois,” Mum reprimanded, walking right behind him and kissing his cheek. “Make sure that you said it right this time. If you mess up something as simple as this again we’ll be in the paper and then you’ll get upset about your failure like always.”</p><p>I giggled at my mum’s remark but my father just gave her a glare before picking up a handful of floo powder, bringing himself into our large fireplace that was lined with amethysts from the mines in the valley. I heard my father take in one last deep breath before yelling out, “Diagon Alley!”</p><p>Mother let out a sigh of relief when she heard him say the words correctly. “Come now, Elodie, you can do it. You’re much better with words than your father.”</p><p>“Much,” I agree, taking a handful of the grey powder just as my father had. Quietly walking over to our bedazzled fireplace, I take a deep breath of my own and drop down the fire while saying as clear as I could, “Diagon Alley!”</p><p>With dust clinging to my jacket, I attempt to dust it off while coughing from the unfavorable form of travel. Although I did like to go to Diagon Alley, the ways to get there were not my favorite. I was one of the worst flyers in the world, so going by broom was not an option. I’m also underaged, which means that I can’t apparate yet, making things much harder for all of us. Apparating with my parents wouldn’t be as bad but father hates it so much that he refuses to apparate unless absolutely necessary.</p><p>Moving away from the fireplace in the shop so mum could come through, I searched for my father. I was able to find him looking at some of the books in the shop. I had been here so many times that I knew the place up and down, so finding out that the shopkeeper had rearranged things was annoying. I no longer knew the small hiding places that lined the walls, all covered by large bookcases with books by <em> Gilderoy Lockheart </em>. Sounded like the name of a buffoon in my opinion.</p><p>“New organization from you,” my father noted as the shopkeeper rolled by. Ronaldo Nott was a man of higher status, but did not take his family name very seriously, never marrying and never wishing for more than the life of a shopkeeper. “Didn’t think you would ever change anything about anything.”</p><p>“Ah, what’s the fun in that,” Ronaldo jokes, “I see you’ve brought young Elodie. How old did she turn this summer? She’s getting older every year! And bigger!”</p><p>“As is the nature of wizardkind,” Father joked back with the pale man, “Eleven. Just got her letter yesterday. Do you have some of the books for the first years in your shop? The ones down the street always are at a higher price.”</p><p>“Just got the latest editions,” Ronaldo pointed to his desk and strolled over, taking out a set of books. <em> How am I supposed to carry all of those around? Wait, I can use magic this year! I can use the reducer charm! That one shouldn’t be too hard. Father said they learn it in third year but why not get ahead when it can help me carry everything in my pockets? </em></p><p>“Perfect condition for you, Miss Vega,” I smile at him as he hands me the books, my father dropping a few more galleons than he needed to pay for the supplies. Mum smiles from my side, only saying a thank you as we walk out of the shop. She puts my books in her neverending bag, giving me a warm smile as we walk down Diagon Alley.</p><p>“Do you think that Hogwarts teachers know about the Nargles?” I knew that voice anywhere. <em> Luna! </em></p><p>Turning to where I had heard her voice, I see Luna in a hand stitched yellow dress with sequins at the ends, connected by tassels that had badgers on the end. <em> Aw, you made a dress that you can wear to cheer on the Hufflepuffs. That’s so sweet, Luna. </em></p><p>“Luna!” I cheer as she notices me. Running over to see my childhood friend I hear her father laugh as I hug her. The blonde girl hugs me back, smiling and laughing as we pull away.</p><p>“Great to see you, Elodie,” She greets me, “How has your summer been?”</p><p>“Actually quite good, for the most part we have stayed home, although we did get to do some travelling to Florence. You would love some of the magical creatures there. The Cobra Lilies there were absolutely fascinating,” her face lights up at the mention of the magical creature. I knew that she had wanted to see some of the plant-like magical beings for some time, but her father was wary that she would not be able to protect herself against them if they did attack.</p><p>“Did you see any of the Fire Crabs?” I nod, remembering how beautiful they are, “The creatures of Florence are so beautiful. It has been years since we have gone to Italy.”</p><p>“Maybe we can go next year, my dear Luna,” Xenophilius patted his daughter’s back, making her smile up at him and move away from the shop they had gone to. “We should be going to Ollivanders next to get Luna her wand. Has Elodie gotten hers yet?”</p><p>“Not yet, we wanted to wait for you two,” Father answers his friend, “Make sure that you both take care of these wands. I should hope that they will be your last.”</p><p>Luna and I nodded before taking the lead and walking towards where we knew Ollivander’s was, our parents not far behind. The streets were filled with people coming and going, but I could see some older Hogwarts students with their books in Care of Magical Creature’s class. That would be a class I wished to take. The way magical creatures worked fascinated me.</p><p>After a few minutes of walking we were able to make our way into Ollivanders. There was only one person in there. A boy about our age with near white hair just like Luna, he had an air of loneliness coming off of him as he waited for Ollivander to come back with a wand. He had his own money in his hand. No parent had come with him to get his first wand. <em> Isn’t this something that you come with your child to? Oh wait- </em></p><p>A woman with the same hair as him politely moved past us as she made her way to the boy. That boy looked at her and smiled as she kissed his cheek and patted his back. <em> Oh good, she was just out to get something. Now he won’t be as lonely. </em></p><p>“Mrs. Malfoy,” Ollivander came out from behind one of his shelves of wands, “How are you doing today? Your wand?”</p><p>“Good. Same one that you sold to me when I was eleven,” Ollivander hummed and took out a wand, giving it one good look before giving it to her son.</p><p>“More like his father in looks, but is he the same in temperament?” The woman shook her head, “Ah, looks like the father but acts like the mother. I see it all the time. A well versed wand should do him good. I’ll try unicorn hair-” He cut himself off as he grabbed another wand from his shelves, “This one should work, but just give it a wave, Mr. Malfoy.”</p><p>The Malfoy boy did just that, waving the wand, creating a little wisp of white light as he did so. He let out a happy sound as the wand accepted him as it’s master. The boy’s mother patted him on the back and gave him a warm smile as she paid for the wand, thanking Ollivander.</p><p>Although I had heard many bad things about the Malfoy family in general from many family members, this boy didn’t seem evil or cruel at all. He was my age and eleven year olds aren’t going to be going into the dark arts, so he was fine in my book.</p><p>Quite a handsome boy, he had his own way of clinging to his mother as he walked out, making sure that she didn’t go too far ahead of him. As they opened the door, I could see a much sterner looking man outside. Ollivander was right about his son, he did look like him. Not an exact replica, the boy definitely got the better looking nose from his mother, but the resemblance was uncanny.</p><p>The older Malfoy shut the door without a care, almost slamming it on his way out. Mr. Ollivander let out a sigh and muttered something under his breath before looking at Luna and I. “Your turn, young ones. Vega and Lovegood. Your fathers have been friends since they came through these doors. Your age as well as they got their first wands. Strong witches, you will be. Come now, I think I can find some wands for you now.”</p><p>Luna and I nodded as the older man shifted through some of his wands, taking in a deep breath before putting it down on the table. It took him a few more minutes to get out more wands, but my friend and I patiently waited for him to be done. We, of course, wanted to get the right fit for our wands the first time around, but knew that we may be here for a while. Our personalities were not very easy to fit.</p><p>“I wonder,” Ollivander comes back over and hands me a wand, “This one is quite peculiar. No wand is ever the same, but I do not think many wands have been made for the uses one could do. Powerful, but also loyal and seeking. Seeks the truth and nothing but it.”</p><p>Nodding, I take the wand out of the box and make one flick of my wrist like I had seen my father do many times before. I swore I could hear the wand make a harmonious tune as I flicked it around, almost like a lullaby. Ollivander smiled at me and nodded.</p><p>“What is this wand made out of?” I ask the older man.</p><p>“Alder wood. Very powerful, good for any spell you need it to do. Phoenix feather core, 10”. I see it is slightly springy. I believe you can do great things with this wand, Miss Vega. It will always remember it’s original owner and will never break loyalty to you, even if someone else tried to take it in a duel,” My father smirked, clearly proud that his daughter had gotten a loyal wand. “Take good care of this wand. I should not wish to see you here to get another wand when this one is such a good fit.”</p><p>“I’ll take care of it. I promise,” Ollivander smiles and turns to Luna.</p><p>“We shall get started with you then. Let us start with this reddish one.”</p><ul>
<li>.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</li>
</ul><p><b>Luna had taken much longer </b>to find the right wand than I had, but in the end I think Ollivander got her a good wand that fit her personality well. Unfortunately I had zoned out when she got to the second wand, so I don’t know what hers was made of, but I knew that it had unicorn hair as the core.</p><p>“Acorns,” Luna mused as she looked up and down her wand, “It has acorns etched into the sides. Very pretty, don’t you think?”</p><p>“Much prettier than mine,” I laugh, looking at my simple brown wand, “Has more flavor.”</p><p>“Yours may not be as unique, but it is much stronger than mine,” Luna always had been a brutally honest girl, just telling it as it is no matter the consequences. “I hope you use yours well. Ollivander said it was powerful.”</p><p>“Power is not what I seek,” Luna smiled and looked to the sky.</p><p>“Maybe, but it will find you.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Running through that wall for </b>
  <span>the first time was likely one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. Of course I had run, hoping that I wouldn’t die and that the wall really was magic. For all I knew my father forgot where the actual wall was and led us to a pounding headache and ruffled feathers courtesy of Awina.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking at the train that was in sight, I also was able to see many of the older students hugging their parents before getting on. Today was the last day I could see my mum and dad in person. After this I would have to write to them and wait a few days for their replies. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If only we had those muggle telephones. Lord, that would make things so much easier around here. How has nobody thought up a trinket or spell for long distance conversations? It seems like such an obvious thing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Snapping myself out of my own thoughts, I turn around and wrap my arms around my father, who groaned at how tight I was holding onto him before hugging me back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll love it at Hogwarts, Lodie,” Father assures me, running his hand down my back. “Make sure that you take care of that wand and your mind. Don’t stress about friends too much unless you start getting lonely. Luna will always have your back and with how charming you are I bet you’ll have more friends than I did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mum nodded and kissed my cheek before hugging me as well, letting out a small sob as she rubbed her own eyes. “Keep yourself safe this year. Anything can happen at Hogwarts. We’ll send you some spells to get you ahead in class but you won’t be learning any real defensive spells until second year. Ridiculous.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Riddikulus,” I joked, causing both of my parents to erupt with laughter, my father nearly falling over at the stupid pun. “What? I can be funny too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too smart for your own good. Those Ravenclaw towers will be getting quite the young witch. Make sure to say hello to Helena when you get there. She’s the house ghost,” I nod, knowing that I would make Ravenclaw. In every way I was a mixture of both of my parents, who were both the perfect Ravenclaws. My father being the creative side and my mother being the analytical side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Walking over to the train, I watch as my parents wave to me, ready to see their little girl go onto the Hogwarts Express for the first time. This would not be the last time, but it was still a momentous occasion. The first time and the last time would likely be the most memorable unless something huge happened on the train. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What could even go down on a train with this many magical enchantments? It’s not like a Dementor is going to come flying inside. No, that would be truly insane. I think I’ll make note of that if it happens. Something to tell the future generations.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>One last breath left me as I took a step into the train, moving quickly so as to not upset any of the other students who wished to swiftly board and move to find compartments for themselves and their friends. Knowing that Luna would come a bit late, I took a seat in an empty compartment, taking out a muggle book that the Weasley’s had sent our family for Christmas.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Great Expectations had not been a book that I would usually find myself reading, often finding myself immersed in epic fantasy or witch fairy tales, but it had found its way into my bag by form of my mum’s wish for me to read something less childish. Not having opened the book until today, I really didn’t know what I was supposed to expect. Whether or not I would like the characters was unknown. They were what really made a story tick for me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before I could get past the first page, a girl about the same age as me strolled in, holding her books close to her chest as she awkwardly sat down across from me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing this as a chance to make the first move and introduce myself, I smile at the girl. “My name’s Elodie Vega. Are you a first year as well?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girl nods. “I’m Cho Chang. I hope I wasn’t intruding. I don’t have anywhere else to go. Most places are already full of older students.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You aren’t at all. My friend Luna should be coming in soon. She’s usually fashionably late. Finds tardiness better than being early and having awkward conversations with new people. I think you’ll like her, although she can be quite odd at times,” Cho smiles and nods. “What house do you think you’ll be in. I’m hoping to be in the same house as my family. Ravenclaw, home of the eagles.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the house my father thinks I’ll be put into. I don’t think I’m smart enough,” I frown, knowing Ravenclaw’s didn’t have to be smart, but could also be creative and original.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Creativity is Ravenclaw’s best attribute, intelligence can be mastered and tamed like a wild beast,” the black-haired girl giggled, “Make sure that the hat knows that you’re ready for a challenge. Ready to be challenged, but also willing to gain the information through whatever means necessary. Not all Ravenclaws need pure intelligence to get into the house, but it does help a ton in the long run.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are you so confident?” She asked, looking down at the books she held close to her chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My trick is that I know when I am absolutely right and when I could potentially be wrong. If I know I am right I can speak with as much confidence as I please, but if I could be incorrect you will find I am much quieter. Sometimes you need to be loud and sometimes your situation will require that you are quiet as a mouse. Remember to never stay silent. Silence is your worst nightmare,” Cho nods before opening one of her spell books that she took with her on the train. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hogwarts: A History. Should be good for History of Magic. You’re good at this already.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Luna had arrived the train had already started to move. It had seemed that she got here just in time. Simply sitting down and lying on my lap, she fell asleep quickly. I chuckled as she used me as a pillow. Luna had been doing this our whole life, using me as her favorite pillow (in her own words) and taking a good nap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ride to the train station had been mostly uneventful, but Luna had woken up a few times, one of those times being when the Trolley Lady came through to sell snacks. The blonde girl looked up with glee as she ordered as much candy as she could fit into her mouth without getting sick. Even Cho had bought quite a bit of candy, putting some away to save for later. I myself was not an exception. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If mum and dad figure out how much candy I ate, they won’t let me have dessert when I come home. Doesn’t Hogwarts give out dessert every weekend? How are the kids here not the size of Erumpents?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, Luna, let’s go,” I ran my hand through her blonde hair, waking her up. She gave me a surprised look as she turned to all of the students who had already started to leave. Thankfully Luna and I had gotten our clothes on during one of Luna’s nap breaks. Cho had done the same, not wanting to stay in the compartment alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, now, first years, don't be shy. Come on now, hurry up,” I hear a big burly man say, looking down at a boy while calling forth all of the first years in the area.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go, it’s the lake,” I smile at Cho and call her over as well, not wanting to leave her behind. “Three to a boat sounds good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite,” Luna muses, walking towards where the man was leading us. On any other occasion I would be worried that a large man was leading us somewhere, but this was Hogwarts and where could I be safer?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think the Giant Squid is real? In the Black Lake?” Cho asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The great unknown of it all is what makes the story stick,” Luna answers, skipping along the cobblestone road without a care in the world. Many students around us giggled at her behavior, but I had gotten used to Luna and her exuberant personality. While quite a few young students would consider her behavior odd, I just thought she expressed her creativity in an original manner, not willing to be confined by what society thought of what was normal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Black Lake of Hogwarts was known to be filled with myths and legends of monsters and beautiful creatures alike. Nobody really knew what was at the bottom. Stories about what was under the waves went back farther than my family in England. Hell, the tales might be older than Merlin himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stepping into the boat, I saw just how beautiful the night sky was. Hogwarts, or rather the shadows of Hogwarts, was the most enchanting place I had ever seen. Not even the magical side of Italy could compare to the sheer beauty that lined the skies and the stars as the sun set around the ancient castle. The sky burned deep purples and pinks as that burning star set, only to reveal the glittering moon that had risen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the three of us in the boat, we paddled our way to the castle, which was larger than any of us could have imagined. Our parents had said the place was large, but what they had decided to leave out was that it was completely and utterly </span>
  <em>
    <span>massive.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Impressive wasn’t even a strong enough word to describe the place. Made of old stones, I had never seen a place quite like it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gorgeous,” Cho muttered as we stepped out of the boat, looking around to see if anyone was going to come and get us. Thankfully we had been able to follow the crowd and make our way into the castle. I had to thank whoever knew where we were supposed to go because I had never seen a place with so many corridors. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Spectacular,” Luna whispered, staying close to the two of us. I made sure to stay close to her, not letting my friend out of my sight. Luna Lovegood was bound to wander both awake and in her sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Professor McGonagall,” the burly man said from behind us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She opened up the large doors. On the other side was likely the Great Hall, where everyone was waiting to see the sorting ceremony. “Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I knew that I would be having many classes with my house, but I also knew that during the past three centuries the houses were given more chances to meet with each other and have classes with each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.” Luna, Cho, myself, and many of the other students smiled and nodded at our professor, ready to wait as long as it took.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once our professor had gotten back she ushered us down the hall. I tried my best to smile as many of the students looked at us with their own awkward smiles. We were new and we were much younger than most of them, meaning that we would have to follow some sort of new social hierarchy that we hadn’t had to before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While we stood there awkwardly Professor McGonagall placed a stool out in front of everyone, an ancient looking hat looking quite comfortable on it. Staring at the hat, I waited for what I knew would be the sorting hat’s song that it would sing every single year. Of course, no song was the same. Why would it sing the same tune?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a minute of waiting, the hat began to sing,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But don't judge on what you see,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I'll eat myself if you can find</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A smarter hat than me.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You can keep your bowlers black,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Your top hats sleek and tall,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And I can cap them all.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There's nothing hidden in your head</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The Sorting Hat can't see,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So try me on and I will tell you</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Where you ought to be.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You might belong in Gryffindor,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Where dwell the brave at heart,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You might belong in Hufflepuff,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Where they are just and loyal,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil;</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>if you've a ready mind,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Where those of wit and learning,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Will always find their kind;</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Or perhaps in Slytherin</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You'll make your real friends,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Those cunning folk use any means</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>To achieve their ends.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So put me on! Don't be afraid!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And don't get in a flap!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You're in safe hands (though I have none)</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>For I'm a Thinking Cap!</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Clapping our hands together, people gave applause to the talented hat as it looked out at the crowds of students.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now it was time to be sorted.</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</span></li>
</ul><p>
  <b>It had taken over ten </b>
  <span>students for the hat to get anywhere near my name. Many famous names had gone. Of course, Weasley got Gryffindor like the rest of his family, but one name did catch everyone’s attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Harry Potter had been sorted, it had come to the surprise of everyone in the room, but not me. His parents had been two Gryffindors with some prominent traits of their own, passing them down to their son should have not been a shocker to so many. Yes, he was the chosen one, but that just meant that he had some stupid prophecy to fufill or something crazy like that. The name meant nothing. His scar, however, did mean something. A mark will always be stronger than a word or a phrase. No name could compare to that lightning scar on his forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Elodie Vega!” The sound of my name being called threw me off. Caught by surprise, I take in a deep breath before making my way up to the sorting hat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taking my seat on the stepstool, Professor McGonagall places the hat on my head. The dusty musk of the hat filled my senses as he came alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Such a fulfilling mind,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” He complimented. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Bright mind, ready to do what it takes. Are you ready to do what it takes to make your mark?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My mark isn’t what matters,” I answer honestly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Traits usually found in a Hufflepuff or a Slytherin, but not in the same manner. That mind of yours can take you places if you just allow yourself the freedom. Creativity is what binds a mind like yours, taking you farther than that of any other. A mind built for the extreme, but also the precise. Accuracy in your goals is what you wish for, is it not</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I only wish for the truth in what I do. I don’t want to blindly follow but I also wish to stay alive long enough to be able to tell my own story.” The hat hums at my response and takes in a deep breath of its own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>To that, I can safely make an accurate judgement of my own</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” I braced myself for the impact of his answer. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>RAVENCLAW!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was only the beginning, but I already felt like home.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. There is a Very Fine Line Between Friendship and Hate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>By the time we had</b>
  <span> finished up our supper and gone off to bed, I had learned the hard way what we would have to do to get into the common room. Riddles were what set us apart and it would be riddles that got us into our tower. Of course, we were Ravenclaws, we were supposed to be able to solve something as fickle as a riddle, but the idea of messing up and needing to get inside still haunted me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully Penelope Clearwater, our house prefect, had taken to answering the riddle for all of us first year Ravenclaws, who didn’t really know what we were doing yet. The answer had been ‘Opening at the end is better than to never open at all’.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Our dorm consisted of myself, Luna, Cho, Marietta Edgecombe, and Lisa Turpin. With Marietta and Lisa not really knowing us, they tried their best to get past their own introvertedness and learn things about us. Our history and our family were the most discussed topics between us the first night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It turned out that Lisa Turpin was a muggle-born witch from Ireland. With copper hair and dark brown eyes, the freckles on her face lit up under the lights in our dormitory. She was breathtakingly beautiful, although she did seem quite shy. I had never seen someone with hair like hers. Even the Weasleys’ hair could not compare to hers. Not quite fire and not quite amber, her hair was one of a kind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luna had taken to sleeping on one side of me and Cho had taken the other, curling up with a book and likely staying up late into the night reading. I could tell that we would get along. She was a mild-mannered person with not much to say for herself, but I knew there was an inner fire inside of her that needed to be released. Maybe it would come out later, but right now it was held deep inside of her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I had been able to get through about a quarter of the way into Great Expectations before giving up and settling down to go to sleep for the night. The book had gotten quite boring, making it useless in my mind. What was a book without interest?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thinking of what I was supposed to write to mum and dad, I fell asleep under the light of the stars in the window of the Ravenclaw Towers.</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</span></li>
</ul><p>
  <b>The first day of classes </b>
  <span>had been much less eventful than I expected. Of course the usual gossip was going around already, but nothing truly worthy of being called an </span>
  <em>
    <span>event </span>
  </em>
  <span>happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are you going, Luna?” I ask as my friend starts to drift off to the side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To the owlery,” she says sweetly, skipping off without another word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing nothing better to do with my time, I started to roam about the castle. What more was I supposed to do with my day? No classes meant that I would get more time to get to know my way around the place that I would be calling home for quite a long time. Seven years to be exact. I would not waste one second of that time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Many of the staircases had already shifted while I walked up and down them. While quite a few of my housemates had started to complain about just how many stairs were in Hogwarts, I thought of them as good exercise and good fun. Even if they did change while I was still on them and trying to get somewhere, they provided me a chance to learn how they worked. It could do me some good in the future if someone were to attack me on the staircase.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I would hope that I will never need to use this information for nothing more than well timed visits to places before class.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While on one of my many walks up and down the stairs a girl with jet black hair stumbled into me, screeching as she did so. Hoping that I did not frighten her, I politely pick up her books and hand them back to her. She scowled and made an aggressive stance, giving me one of the most pathetic glares I had ever seen in my life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is wrong with you?” She snaps. “What the hell are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Picking up your books after you ran into me. I’ll be on my way now. No need to get worked up, the books and you are okay,” I say calmly, ready to turn around and leave. She grabs my arm and holds me there. I shoot her a glare of my own and she smirks. “If you would let me go I would be able to get to where I am going. You’ll learn in your time here that grabbing women isn’t something to be so proud of. Wipe the smirk and let me go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you gonna do, blood-traitor.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>So she’s one of those girls. Lord, I would hope that not all of the Slytherins are like this. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Walking around here like you’re all that. Snooty little Ravenclaw thinks that she can do anything other than being a pain in everyone’s arse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is not a matter of thinking it is a matter of </span>
  <em>
    <span>knowing</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Get your pale hands off me,” the girl made a noise that could only be noted as sounding similar to that of a harpy, sharp and annoying the life out of me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Miss Parkinson!” I heard Professor McGonagall’s voice over Parkinson’s screeching, “Get your hands off of Miss Vega. You should be old enough to know that we do not grab people in the middle of the stairwells.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She pushed me,” the girl lied to her face, pouting. It seemed that the professor saw right through her puppy dog face, not looking impressed with her theatrics.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A likely story. Get along to where you need to go before I write home. This is the last time that you harass a student here at Hogwarts in my presence. If I hear that you harass Miss Vega again I will write home to your parents and assign you a month’s detention in my office,” the black-haired girl made a noise of disapproval, “Is that understood?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Professor McGonagall,” she muttered, moving away from me and walking down the stairs.</span>
</p><p><span>“I would just like to check in with you and make sure that grabbing you was all that she did,” Professor McGonagall’s voice had turned much softer as Parkinson left.</span><span><br/></span> <span>“Words from girls like her matter not,” I say, “They are words from a girl who fills her heart with cowardice and steals happiness from others for fun. Why should I let her get to me when it would only give her incentive to harass me further? Pureblood supremacists like her have no reasons to live other than to gain power at this point. I wouldn’t give her any mind unless she gets too bad. People here will learn how to put her in her place.”</span></p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” she takes in a deep breath, “I would hope that you, in your own words, put her in your place. Bullying is not tolerated at Hogwarts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If that were the case, wouldn’t she be gone already,” the teacher chuckles at my comment. “Things aren’t that simple when it comes to staircases and bullies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no they are not, Miss Vega.”</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</span></li>
</ul><p>
  <b>Beyond the confrontation with Pansy</b>
  <span> Parkinson, I had no problems with any of the students at Hogwarts that day. Dinner had gone well with Luna and Cho eating the remains of their candy from the Hogwarts Express. Most of the other Ravenclaw students kept to themselves during dinner or just didn’t show up for that second day. I figured that quite a few of them were already in the library, studying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I had taken it upon myself to explore before curfew was set into place. For the most part I hadn’t seen many of the school’s lavatories. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I should know where the bloody hell I’m gonna take a wee before I figure out all of the hiding places. Priorities, Elodie, priorities.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Many of the students that had gone up early littered the hallways, but one corridor was unusually empty. Not only that, but it was much </span>
  <em>
    <span>cleaner</span>
  </em>
  <span> than any of the other hallways in the castle. I knew Mr. Filch cleaned all day and night, but if this wasn’t his favorite hallway I had no way to explain why the floors were so damn pristine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably just another </span>
  <em>
    <span>haunted</span>
  </em>
  <span> corridor. Perhaps people don’t like the plumbing down here,” I theorize with myself, “Still a lovely place. Much better since it’s clean. What floor is this again? Oh yeah, the third floor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While I had gone down this corridor a few times simply to get to Transfiguration faster, the place was still unknown in my mind. I didn’t know where those small indents were from a rogue bludger or where the etchings of names were. Those names may have been long forgotten by those who carved them into the stone, but I would still learn every single one of them during my time here at Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If I was lucky, I would be able to find where my father had etched his name into the second floor corridor. He never would admit where it was, but said that he would get me something very special if I ever did find where he wrote his name and a profession of love for my mother all those years ago. Lord, it must have been over a decade since they went to Hogwarts considering that I’m eleven years old. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I wonder if they knew that they would be together for so long. Do you know when you find the perfect person for you or does that take thirteen years of marriage?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>My eyes locked on the sight of the lavatory sign. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bullseye! I finally found that stupid thing. I hope nobody is inside. This place looks untouched for the most part. I’ll just go inside and map the place out in my head before going to bed. That doesn’t sound too bad. What if someone catches me? That would be awful. Imagine thinking you’ll be alone in a bathroom and some person finds you inside. I would hate myself.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Strolling into the bathroom, I look around and hear a faint whisper of a sob in the middle of the room. Turning my head, I try to see who I had walked in on crying in the bathroom awkwardly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why do I always think of something and have it happen later? Am I a bloody seer?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell do you-” Before he could say anything further he took a good look at me, not knowing quite what to do. His eyes were red and puffy, his hair not as perfect as it had been in Diagon Alley a few weeks ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This boy looked nothing like the proud boy with his mother I had seen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do blood-traitors just find pleasure in walking into haunted bathrooms?” I chuckle at his remark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Decent people do sometimes find pleasure in mapping out whatever places they can,” Malfoy’s face turns pale as I speak, “Although mostly the good Ravenclaws will do what I do. I can’t seem to find anyone else who shares the same passions as me. You won’t believe what you can find when you look in the right places. If you opened your eyes, Malfoy-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He cut me off, “What game are you playing at, you stupid blood traitor?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No games, Malfoy, although I should let you know that I am far from stupid. You should know that already. It seems that you believe that trying to insult me is going to make me leave the bathroom so you can continue crying about whatever while also looking like the tough guy. Hard stunt to pull off, I would recommend less shock and more anger in your voice. Maybe more sexist terms will work,” His face falls as I rip into what he was doing without even insulting him once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Giving me advice on how to insult people like I can’t properly-” I put my hand up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What you do will work against most students here as it seems that the term blood traitor has a bad connotation even though it means that you are a good person, but I know better than to let blood supremacists get to my head. I don’t think wanting an entire race dead is a good character quality,” I state.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ravenclaws,” He mutters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are a great assortment of wise people with advice that you should be listening to, Malfoy,” He turns to look me in my emerald green eyes. Those slate eyes tore into my very soul, brimming with tears as he stared at me. “What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What-?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First years don’t usually cry over nothing. It takes until third year for the hormones to hit hard enough to cause meltdowns like the one you're having to happen out of nowhere,” Looking away, Malfoy looked to the ground. “I’ll ask you one more time, Malfoy, what happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is none of your business, Vega,” he glares at me while I sigh, sitting down on one of the benches. “Seriously, are all of your lot this bloody nosy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Find out for yourself later. Now, answer the question,” Malfoy let out a low hiss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My father’s a prat.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>There we go.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Sent a howler yesterday and I got another one two hours ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve found that fathers like yours will never get how sensitive eleven years old are. Or children in general,” Malfoy looked away from me, “Don’t act like this isn’t something you do often. I see how red your eyes are every single day, I just don’t say anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So the second that you catch me you came in to make fun of me? Well guess what, Vega, I don’t want your pity and I won’t take your insults-” As he walked towards me I rolled my eyes at his dramatic attitude.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Insults aren’t my way of being and you should know that later when little Parkinson comes crying to you,” He chuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She already has.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Point made, Malfoy,” He tries to leave but I grab him by the robes. “Don’t even think about leaving yet, fellow first year. We have a lot more to discuss.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What more do you want to gather on me, Ravenclaw?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just what you really think about what your father says about people like me. Something is telling me that Ollivander was right about you not being like your father. Unicorn hair isn’t for dark wizards like your father. You were so happy with your mother but your face dropped the second that you saw your father, so what has he been saying behind closed doors that makes you so unhappy to see him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a few seconds I was sure that Malfoy was going to storm out of the bathroom or hex me where I stood, but he just sighed and gave me a knowing look. I had broken that shell that surrounded Draco Malfoy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They shouldn’t be killed,” I knew exactly what he was talking about. “Although they aren’t as good at practical magic. Purebloods grow up with magic. We’re different.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Culturally I would agree,” he smirked, “Although when taught, a muggle born can best a pureblood at anything. They need a steady handle and some guidance from others, but beyond that they are equal to purebloods. The idea of blood purity is poposturus and was made as a form of wizard racism against muggles and anyone who cared for them in their families. You may spew their vile but you don’t even believe it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco Malfoy stood before me, speechless as I told him how it was. His eyes turning warmer than they had before, a sad smile found its way onto his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hate you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t hate anyone,” I countered, “Even Potter or the Weasleys. The fact of the matter is that you don’t have it in you to hate anyone. We’re eleven, not thirty, we can’t hate, maybe strongly dislike.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I strongly dislike you,” I laughed as he tried to get rid of me in other ways. “I can strongly dislike you, Elodie Vega.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perfect means for a friendship, don’t you think? Strongly disliking me,” Malfoy blinked a few times before I spoke up again, “Leave the feelings of near-hatred for Potter and Weasley, you don’t have a chance at friendship with them anyways. I will make myself very clear when I say that I don’t believe that you’re a bad person. No matter what other people say, that name of yours means absolutely nothing to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t care that I’m the son of Lucius Malfoy?” He sounded almost surprised at the idea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, but even if I did, my father is higher than yours in the Ministry. I don’t need to fear that prat father of yours because I have a father of my own that could ruin any student at the school if they wished to harm me. Names mean nothing and houses mean nothing. I am Elodie and you are Draco, our last names and houses should not define us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a Slytherin of House Malfoy,” he objected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a boy caught crying in the girl’s lavatory. Give up, Draco. I’m giving you a chance to fix yourself before your father can ruin you. I can help you fix yourself and you can be my friend,” He gave me another curious look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a mad woman,” I laughed and nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mad, but the only chance at a decent friendship not based on the name Malfoy you’ll ever get. I’m not afraid of you and I never will be, no matter what you try and do. I see that you’re in pain and if you want to stop being in emotional turmoil you’ll take me up on my offer,” I let go of his robes and he looks me dead in the eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine, but you need to help me in McGonagall’s.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, the sweet smell of victory.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Pissy Professors</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>One would expect a person </b>
  <span>like Draco Malfoy to put up more of a fight in befriending a blood traitor like myself. With his fame he could get anyone to follow him, but I knew that simple followers weren't what he really wanted, what he really </span>
  <em>
    <span>needed</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Everyone needs a friend, and if I could be friends with Draco Malfoy I would do whatever it took to be the best friend I knew he wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From a family that did not like me or my ideals, the Malfoy’s had likely told their child all sorts of backwards things about muggles and those who were willing to tolerate their existence in society. From what Mr. Weasley had said about Mr. Malfoy, he demanded respect from everyone, which meant he didn’t have the respect of anyone. One cannot simply order respect, it had to be earned. You cannot fear and respect someone at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where the hell would someone find Valerian sprigs?” Draco muttered from my side. He had taken every chance to sit next to me, much to my surprise. Not only that, but he had not insulted me once since we met in the bathroom yesterday.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Europe and Asia,” I whispered to him. He simply nodded and wrote it down in his notebook, likely next to his notes on the forgetfulness potion we were supposed to be studying. “Do you know if Professor Snape tests on direction or general success when it comes to potion making?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you planning on not following the directions?” He questions, putting down his pen and turning the page of his notebook to reveal the instructions he had copied for himself. “I have no idea, but you better not get us in trouble.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” I start, remembering what my father had told me about potions, “Since Snape has only very small berries to have us work with it would be wise to use six instead of four. Most mistletoe berries are at least one and a half times that of the ones on the shelves. Plus, my father says that you’re actually supposed to use three drops of Lethe river water if you want a decent result-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My explanation had been cut off by none other than the potion master himself, “Speaking during class when you are supposed to be harnessing your mental wit, are you Vega?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Questions are best left for the masters anyway,” I sigh and turn to the page in the book and point at the recipe, “I was just asking Draco if you graded based on how well the potion turns out or if you prefer to grade based on direct copying from the issued textbooks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Professor Snape stood there for a second before grabbing my book and seeing all of the notes my father had written down before the school year started. He frowned at the marks and said, “This is not your handwriting. Cheating is not allowed in my classes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have issued no rules stating that we cannot get help from our parents before the school year begins. I simply wanted to do my best in this class. As you can see, I wrote down some notes that I made myself as well while practicing on my own time,” I point out the small handwriting at the sides of each page that gave clear directions on how to use the ingredients for other potions as well as how to prepare them in the easiest ways possible. “Cheating is not allowed in any classes, Professor Snape, and I am sorry if I offended you in any way. You explain things quite quickly and sometimes I need outside help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Offended is not what you would wish to make me, Miss Vega,” he almost spat at me. “Changing the recipes of potions you do not yet understand is not only stupid but a shame to the name of wisdom and Rowena Ravenclaw.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Many students had turned their heads to see the exchange, Malfoy included. Although he did not giggle like the rest of my classmates, just sitting there like he was scared of the professor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is not your place as a teacher to tell me what is and is not a shame to my house when in your years at Hogwarts you were a Slytherin,” classmates around me gasped, “Not only that but speaking with such a tone may work on the Gryffindors, but it will not work on me. Professor, you are a teacher, which means that you should be quite happy that my father was willing to make your job easier. Yes, it takes the fun away, but at the same times I am happy in my notes and in my perfect potions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the end of my speech he threw my notebook down on the stone floor with fury in his eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Has this man never had someone stand up to him in his time teaching? At least a few students must have some amount of courage in their bones. Or self-respect.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Detention</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Professor Snape hissed, “Five points from Ravenclaw-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She hasn’t done anything wrong!” Malfoy exclaimed from my side, “Professor, if anything it was my fault-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t stick your nose into places it doesn’t belong, Mister Malfoy,” Snape was now fuming. Two students, one from his own house, had stood up to him today. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Looks like Draco does have some courage in his bones. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Detention for </span>
  <em>
    <span>both</span>
  </em>
  <span> of you. I would recommend as your teacher that you stop hanging around </span>
  <em>
    <span>nosy</span>
  </em>
  <span> students.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you too angry to see me for detention tonight or can you hold your tongue, Professor?” The question caused Snape to turn away from Draco and to me. His face had turned red with anger and his lips turned down into a frown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taking the risk, I cut the professor off, “I will not tolerate disrespect from anyone, including a teacher, so will you hold your tongue with me during detention?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Giving me a good glare, Snape seethed, "Yes, Miss Vega,” in defeat. “Now the rest of you! Get on with your potions before I reset the house cup!”</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</span></li>
</ul><p>
  <b>My seat at Ravenclaw table </b>
  <span>had never had more than a few people surrounding it, but now, as I was trying to eat my lunch in peace, multiple people had taken to asking me questions about my life. I couldn’t tell how I had become so popular in only a few hours, but almost all students from my year and some students from older years had come to talk to me. The attention was most definitely unwanted, as my inner introvert started to show through.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you learn how to mess with Snape like that?” was the question posed by Seamus Finnigan, a boy who had a knack for blowing things up in Snape’s class.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, Seamus, ask something better!” said Dean Thomas, “Vega, how are you, a Ravenclaw, becoming braver than the Gryffindors?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Simply trying to eat my toast in peace, I took in a deep breath. “It’s called self-respect and knowing your worth. Snape feeds off of your fear of him. As for you, Thomas, I am not brave and I am in no way courageous. Please, I am eating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leave Vega alone, you two,” I turned my head to see Ron, “Elodie, you are bloody brilliant in the way you destroyed that snake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Ronald,” I had always elected to use his full name, as saying Ron all the time just didn’t seem proper in my eyes. We were not close friends, but we had been over to each other’s houses enough times in our lives that we could use first names. “Tell Molly that Great Expectations was quite a good book. I hated Pip and Joe deserved better, but it did tell quite the story.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great Expectations?” Malfoy asked, coming up to the Ravenclaw table. “What sort of book is that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t like it, Malfoy,” Ronald sassed, “It’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>muggle book.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Too </span>
  <em>
    <span>filthy</span>
  </em>
  <span> for you and your lot. What the bloody hell are you doing over here? Vega, has he been bullying you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite the opposite, really,” I say, much to Ronald’s surprise. “In all honesty I would be the more abusive one in this odd friendship of ours. Worry not about me, Ronald.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Friendship?” Malfoy smirked and nodded. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lord you like riling him up, don’t you. Slytherins and Gryffindors, both sensitive houses full of pansies wishing to be the best while looking like teenagers in diapers to Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “You’re a pureblood who hates muggleborns and anything related to muggles, what would you want to do with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Vega</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’ll help me in Transfiguration,” I rolled my eyes at the promise I had made. “Believe it or not, a lot of people would love to be friends with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, well Harry Potter rejected your friendship,” Ronald turned back to me, “Elodie, he isn’t worth your time or friendship. You’re nice and really smart. Smarter than all of us. Why would you be friends with the likes of Malfoy?” Draco averted his eyes into the ground at the mention of the rejection.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be mean, Ronald Weasley,” Ronald sighs and leaves our table, Finnigan and Thomas following after him. “Draco, don’t take what he says to heart, he’s an arse to anyone who he doesn’t like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The blonde Slytherin nodded before leaving, flashing me a smile before he walked over to his own table. Even after he left, that smile of his haunted me. Whenever I saw it I knew that he was faking it. Maybe not the smile itself, but there was something inside of him that was just not real. I wasn’t seeing the real Draco Malfoy. I had never seen the real Draco.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He would have to learn that I can look above the walls he puts around himself.</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</span></li>
</ul><p>
  <b>While the fame I had </b>
  <span>been recently gifted was starting to get to me, I had some relief that whatever was ailing my mind could be released once I got to transfiguration.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Professor McGonagall was starting to become one of my favorite teachers here. I had never been very good at flying, which was considered to be one of my easier subjects, but I found that with transfiguration everything came easy. That was not the case for Draco Malfoy, who seemed to fail at everything having to do with the class.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had become apparent that Draco was not very good at putting in his all for his classes. Often very good at whatever he did, my new friend had not realized that Transfiguration required more than just pure talent. In a way it was an art and language of its own, able to communicate and change the world around it with just a flick of the wrist. As the professor described, it was more of a science than charms, which Draco was outstanding in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have to try harder,” I say, moving my wand in the correct direction. “Fluid motion will get you farther if you work on your posture.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My posture is fine,” he said as he tried once more, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Reparifarge.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” It was the spell for fixing his mistake, but it didn’t work anyways, keeping his ferret as a tea cup. “Why won’t it work?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you why it won’t work, Draco, you just aren’t listening to me.” Draco groaned and tried again and again before the professor took it upon herself to walk over to us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mister Malfoy,” she starts, her voice calm and stern, “You must swish your wand, not flick. Straighten your back and don’t fall over like a self-conscious sloth,” She turns to me, “I see you have finished your assignment, Miss Vega. Would you help Mister Malfoy with his?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Professor McGonagall,” my teacher smiled at me before walking to the front of the classroom, sitting at her desk. She pulled out a quill and a piece of parchment before starting in on whatever she was doing. Likely letters of detention for her other classes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Reparifarge</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” I say, swishing my wand down and effectively turning Draco’s ferret tea cup back into a ferret. The animal squealed before curling up on his lap, giving him cute little animal eyes. Draco smiled at his pet and started to stroke his fur. He hissed when he started to squirm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Royal, stop doing that,” he reprimanded, “You’ll dig a hole into my robes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s so cute,” I look down and put my hand out for him to sniff me, which he did. The little albino ferret made a small happy noise before running into my lap, settling down. Letting out a deep breath, Draco tried to awkwardly smile as his animal started to fall asleep on me. “Seriously, Draco, you have such a cute ferret. I wish Awina would stay in my lap, but she’s an owl and owls hate to be on you for the most part.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least your animal doesn’t crawl up on random people during class,” he counters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am no </span>
  <em>
    <span>random</span>
  </em>
  <span> person, Draco,” I said dramatically. “Your ferret knows that I am your only </span>
  <em>
    <span>real </span>
  </em>
  <span>friend. Such a good ferret. Make sure to give him a treat later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Friends,” he huffed, “I have other friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like who?” I asked. The blonde boy went silent as he tried to think of a single friend. “No followers that are scared of your father either. That would be </span>
  <em>
    <span>cheating</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, cheating would be writing notes down in your potions textbook,” I whine and take out my transfiguration textbook. “Wait, why are you getting that thing out? Are we not done? You did the spell-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Draco, we have a two foot long essay due in two days in this class,” my friend groans as he remembers. “You’re lucky that it’s a group essay or you would be doomed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll still be doomed.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Tutoring Club</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Finding out all of the </b>
  <span>amazing and magical things that Hogwarts had to offer would be one of the main reasons that coming to the old school was a must. Unlike many of the other Wizarding schools, Hogwarts didn’t have so many rules that you had to abide by, leaving students to explore their own creative talents. For a Ravenclaw like myself, this underlying value would not go unnoticed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Professor McGonagall had called me into her office after class, something that pulled my mind and heart many different directions. Had I done something inherently wrong during our class period? No, but the act of a teacher asking to see you after class was over cut deep into any student’s basic insecurity of failure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This room was lined with the same old stones that every other room had, not having any wallpapers to cover up their jagged edges and ancient markings. The place itself did not seem to be any different from any other classroom I had been inside during my first week, but the atmosphere radiated both comfort and strictness, a feeling that represented the professor perfectly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Miss Vega,” Professor McGonagall called me back to my senses, her voice beckoning me to look into her electric blue eyes. “Do you know why I have called you here today?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, professor,” I answer honestly. My teacher smiles and motions for me to sit down at one of the chairs in the room. Doing as she tells, I hear her let out a small cough before sitting down at her own mahogany desk. Taking out a quill and a piece of parchment, she looks back at me with a newfound sense of curiosity in her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is no need to worry, Miss Vega, you are not in any trouble today.” The tension that paralyzed my body lessened, letting my posture relax in the comfortable seat. “I know that you are one of the best if not the best students in your year. At that, I was wondering if you had any knowledge of the many clubs that exist at Hogwarts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Flyers have not been posted yet,” I state, knowing that many of the club leaders would not have gotten themselves ready to look for any new students during the first week of school. Our halls had not yet found space for the many posters that indicated the many different extracurriculars that Hogwarts had to offer. Students mostly waited for the postings of the Quidditch teams, but I was an awful flier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They have not,” she starts, fixing her spectacles on her nose, “Many of our activities are </span>
  <em>
    <span>selective</span>
  </em>
  <span> and are led by the heads of houses. This year will be the first year I will be leading a club of my own. Quite a few students here in Hogwarts are too smart for their own good, meaning that they are ahead for their ages and ahead for their year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My mind wandered to what had happened in potions. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did he tell her what I did? That wasn’t even me, that was my father helping me out.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Transfiguration is one of the most difficult subjects that will ever be taught at this school. Today we were learning the spell to change our animals into tea cups, not how to fix the mistake of only turning that animal half-way,” her words baffled me. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How are we supposed to learn how to turn them but not learn how to turn them back if we mess up?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“The spell </span>
  <em>
    <span>Reparifarge</span>
  </em>
  <span> has not been successfully performed by a first year student in over a decade, Miss Vega, and before that one student it hadn’t been done for over a century. Not even I could pull such a spell off during my first year at Hogwarts,” she informs, looking back down at the piece of parchment she had laid out on her table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Miss Vega, I would like for you to join the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tutoring Club</span>
  </em>
  <span> I have set up for this year. Unfortunately there are many students who are not doing very well in their classes already and have forwardly asked their teachers for help. The rest of the Hogwarts staff and I have agreed that we will need more students to teach each other as none of us have the time in our days to do so ourselves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I doubt that I will be able to help any of the older students with their work,” my professor laughs and smiles at me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There will be other students that will be a part of the club as well. You are quick with your mind, I suspect that you are already looking ahead in your textbooks. Teaching your fellow first years and some of the second years will do for now. I believe that this club will be going for quite a few years.” For the first time, I smile back at her, understanding that I may be able to help some of the kids my age with their spells.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would be much better,” Professor McGonagall chuckles at me, moving the piece of parchment paper to where I could see the words </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tutoring Club signatures </span>
  </em>
  <span>written in nice cursive on it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Picking up the quill and dipping it in the ink, I write my signature on the parchment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll see you in the library tomorrow.”</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</span></li>
</ul><p>
  <b>The Hogwarts library was not </b>
  <span>only a place of study, but a place of peace and calm for many stressed students. Father had told me the only time he ever went inside was to study or to do his homework, but I could see myself coming inside for many other reasons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I had found myself here on a fine Tuesday evening for the first meeting of the Tutoring Club Professor McGonagall had invited me to. The idea that she thought of me as worthy enough to become a teacher to students in my own year still excited me. I had never thought of myself teaching, but I would get to have a feeling of what the job was like.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Opening the doors to the school library, I saw my professor and a few other students gathered in the back, books open and quills in hand. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I should have brought Draco and I’s essay to work on. He can’t do that entire thing. I guess we’ll just have to work on it later on tonight. Looks like I’m not getting a lot of sleep today.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Walking over to the older students, I could see no familiar faces. If anything I expected </span>
  <em>
    <span>Granger</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be here. A girl worthy of the honor of teaching, she was often finishing her homework and essays right before me in this very library. Why she hadn’t come along would remain unknown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, do sit down with us, Miss Vega,” Professor McGonagall’s voice was much softer than I expected, no where near the same from when she would teach in her classroom. “You are our only first year tutor this year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A first year?” An older Gryffindor boy questioned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I assure you, Mr. Weasley, that Miss Vega is a talented witch who can teach,” she defended me against Percy Weasley, who I had not recognized before. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Speak so rudely to me and I may go and tell your mother, Percy. Seriously, trust your teacher and get that Prefect badge out of your arse and show some decency.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t harass one of my own, Weasley,” said Robert Hilliard, one of Ravenclaw’s Prefects. “If Professor McGonagall thinks that she is fit for the opportunity then you will not question her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Mr. Hilliard,” our professor says as she takes out a list of names. “These are the students that will be coming in tomorrow. They will tell you which students from which years you will be tutoring until they get their grades up. Remember that we are not here to chat, but to teach those of whom have asked for help in their classes. I know that some of you have friends on this list, but I would like for you to take this job seriously. You will be working with partners that I have assigned. Different years.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do they say what subjects they need help in?” I ask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Miss Vega.”</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</span></li>
</ul><p>
  <em>
    <span>Elodie Vega</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>First year tutor</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Working with Cedric Diggory, Hufflepuff third year tutor</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>First year students:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Draco Malfoy; Slytherin; Transfiguration</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Luna Lovegood; Ravenclaw; Potions</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Neville Longbottom; Gryffindor; Potions, Transfiguration, and D.A.D.A</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Second year students:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Marcus Belby; Ravenclaw; Transfiguration, Herbology</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Piper Laurence; Hufflepuff; Herbology, D.A.D.A</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kelly Ortaz; Slytherin; Transfiguration, potions</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Note that students can be kicked out for poor behavior and/or disrespect.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</span></li>
</ul><p>
  <b>Why Draco hadn’t told me </b>
  <span>that he really needed more help in Transfiguration class was bugging me. If he wanted the help, he would have told me more. Now we would be meeting in the library tonight and he wouldn’t know that I knew that I was his tutor for the time being. Not only that but now we would have to have study sessions with a third year that I didn’t know at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I knew that Luna was needing some help in Potions, so it didn’t surprise me to see her name on my list. I didn’t know many of the first year Gryffindors, so Neville was a new name for me. I knew none of the older students, even the boy that was in my house. Ravenclaws were close with people in their own year but we don’t really talk to people above or below us. I knew my Prefects and that was about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are we supposed to write this bloody essay?” Draco questions, picking out his textbook from his bag. “Hate this bloody class so much. I wish I could just take another Potions class or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You hate it because you don’t understand it, that’s just human nature,” he gave me an annoyed look before putting the rest of his supplies on the table. “We will write this essay the way that Professor McGonagall wants us to write this essay. Two feet long and with </span>
  <em>
    <span>small handwriting</span>
  </em>
  <span>, which should be easy enough since I write small anyways. All we have to do is write an essay on the history of Transfiguration as a subject.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Writing down the entire history sounds like a waste of time if you ask me,” Draco snarks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t ask you,” I snarked right back, causing him to bang his head on one of his books in defeat. “I know most of this from memory anyways. Did your parents never teach you these things as a child? My father and I were brewing potions together by the time I could walk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My father’s too busy and my mother isn’t good at Transfiguration,” I sigh, knowing what he meant by </span>
  <em>
    <span>too busy</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It really meant that his father never made the time for his own child. Parents have to </span>
  <em>
    <span>make time</span>
  </em>
  <span> even if they have none. “What does it matter anyways? We learn it during school. That’s why we’re here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just makes getting an O much easier,” I say, bringing out my wand. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Wingardium Leviosa</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We aren’t supposed to learn that until Halloween! How did you…?” He trails off as I bring one of the many textbooks to our table. “How are you even in your first year?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Born in February of 1980,” I say with confidence, turning the book to page 394. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Transfiguration as a subject has been taught in Wizarding schools since their creation in order to ensure the magical well being of Wizards and Witches everywhere. An advanced art, Transfiguration requires precision and focus. To fail at a spell in Transfiguration could cause serious harm or even death. Classes on this matter were originally taught by one Rowena Ravenclaw at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry until her departure.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco got out his notebook and started to scribble down whatever he could from my reading of the informational book.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>There are categories for Transfiguration. Transformation, Untransfiguration, Vanishment, and Conjuration are the classes of this art. Transformation is said to be the easiest while Conjuration is said to be the hardest to teach and practice.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Transfiguration is any Transfiguration that deforms or alters the target in some way. Untransfiguration is the art of reversing a previous transfiguration, being therefore considered both a transfiguration and a counter-spell. Vanishment is the art of causing things to vanish. Conjuration is the art of conjuring things and hence is the opposite of Vanishment.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After giving that brief history lesson on Transfiguration, we got to work on that essay, working together.</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</span></li>
</ul><p>
  <b>Running around the castle the </b>
  <span>next morning to make sure that I wasn’t late for my first tutoring session, I didn’t expect to run into none other than Harry Potter himself. While he looked quite flustered, I just smiled and picked up the books that I had dropped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am so sorry,” he apologized, trying to brush off some of the dirt that had gathered on my jacket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine, Potter, I shouldn’t have been running in the corridors anyways,” I say, giving him the books that he dropped on the cold, concrete floor. “Make sure that you turn in that essay tomorrow!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Giving him no chance to respond, I rushed past him, running into the library and finding my way over to where Draco, Luna, and Neville were waiting. I wished that I had a muggle camera to take a picture of Malfoy’s face as he realized that I was one of his tutors for Transfiguration.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, didn’t think that she would find out?” Luna turns her head to Draco and asks. “Elodie always finds out. A magnet for these sorts of things. I suspect that she has known since last night. My advice is to always tell her so she doesn’t find out on her own. She can be scary sometimes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Luna,” she smiled at me before opening up her Potions textbook to page 35. “Oh, the Ice potion we were working on yesterday in class. What do you need help on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t seem to slice the mushrooms the right way,” She admits.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you tried to cut them horizontally rather than vertically?” She shakes her head and takes out her notebook. Neville did the same, writing down my suggestions. “Always cut them on their side so they don’t burst. You need for them to burst when they hit the water or else it won’t be as potent of a potion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before we could start on anything else, I saw who I assumed were the second year students and Cedric Diggory. All of them were happily chatting as they made their way to our table, sitting down and getting their supplies out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are we working on today?” The boy who I assumed to be Marcus Belby asked. “Cause I don’t know if anyone here knows how to levitate yet, but I suck at it. Probably not since you guys are first years.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Elodie can,” Draco muttered under his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The first year who is supposed to be teaching the older kids?” he said quite rudely. “Sounds like a load of rubbish.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What it sounds like does not concern you,” I say, looking quite annoyed by his blatant rudeness. “No disrespect will be shown to your tutors or I will kick you out of my study group and never let you back in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like you have the authority-” he was cut off by the third year tutor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She is in her means to remove you if she sees it fit. McGonagall has given us the right to kick anyone out for any reason,” Marcus let out a sarcastic sigh and rolled his eyes, clearly upsetting the older tutor. “Get out, Belby.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get out. You clearly aren’t serious about this and aren’t willing to show Vega respect. She’s the only first year who caught the eye of Professor McGonagall so she’s clearly better than you in your studies.” Draco and Neville giggled under their breath while watching the exchange, with Draco trying not to make a scene and Neville almost failing at hiding his laughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marcus Belby huffed before exiting the library, muttering something under his breath before he slammed the door, much to the librarian’s dismay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Silencio,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Diggory said, making sure that the area around us was silent so as to not upset the librarian. “What does everyone need help on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“D.A.D.A,” Neville admits, “I’m rubbish at Potions as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well then everyone, turn to page 256 and Vega and I can help you.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Duo in the Corridors</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>“Why in the name of </b>
  <span>the heavens did you challenge Harry Potter to a midnight duel?” Draco’s face turned to a cringe as I reprimanded him. He had been doing so well with his general jealousy when it came to one Harry Potter, but Malfoy went and blew it the second that he was bested by the scrawny celebrity. “Just because he got on the Quidditch team as a first year doesn’t mean that you need to harass him. Lord, was McGonagall’s daughter there? She could have ratted you out already!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t thinking, Elodie,” he defends himself, throwing his hands up into the air. “No, she wasn’t there. Nor was Dumbledore. Just Crabbe, Goyle, and Weasley.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not only was that highly irresponsible but also </span>
  <em>
    <span>dangerous</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” I continued my lecture, “You have no idea how much trouble you’ll be in if any one of our teachers find you. This isn’t happening. There is no way that I am allowing you to get yourself into this much trouble. You’re staying inside of your dormitory tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well I already said I was going-” I cut him off.</span>
</p><p><span>“Guess what? Potter probably already thinks you’re going to stand him up, so it’s better if you give him what he already expects and save yourself some house points. The amount of detention you’ll get if you go there isn't worth it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Slytherin shunned you for the act,” he hung his head at the library table where I had dragged him to discuss his ridiculous behavior. “Since it’s all secret nobody will know if you were there or not.”</span><span><br/></span> <span>“Why can’t you come with me?” I shake my head.</span></p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have a death wish, Draco, that’s why I’m not going and I’m not letting you go. Come on, this has to be obvious. Just trust me on this one. I know that you don’t have that great of role models when I’m not with you but you have to start learning how to not react to everything that triggers that jealousy inside. There has to be another way to handle things between you and Potter. Dueling is dangerous when you don’t know the right spells and counterattacks. For all I know you could get hurt or even killed just because you wanted to prove your worthiness to someone who just doesn’t care that much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He probably hates me,” I shake my head again, knowing where he was going with this. “What? You said so yourself yesterday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m trying to get you to </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> go there tonight,” He groans and rolls his eyes. “If you really wanted to sneak out of your dorm in the middle of the night that bad you could have just asked me to come with you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You? Sneaking out?” He chuckles and hands me one of my books. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Please</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you’re too much of a goody-goody to even </span>
  <em>
    <span>try</span>
  </em>
  <span>. If your father heard about you out of bed past curfew he would likely throw a fit. Ministry people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Watch me, Malfoy,” He hums in denial and gives me the last of the schoolwork I had brought with me. “Believe it or not my father was not a perfect little Ravenclaw Head Boy, he snuck around with my mother on the weekends. In fact, he’s told me most of the good places to run off to around school grounds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco gave me a look before sighing. “Fine, but make sure that you bring your coat. It’ll be cold out and you aren’t stealing mine again.”</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</span></li>
</ul><p>
  <b>This would not be the</b>
  <span> average evening stroll that ended in sneaking back to the castle. No, something like this would require much more cleverness than I would use in my regular witch life. Never had I done something </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> against the rules. I prided myself on being a good child who last got caught breaking a rule at the age of six when I took fifteen cookies from our cookie jar. That came to light three weeks later, since my house elf Lottie would neither confirm or deny that she saw me eating all of them after supper that summer evening. At least they had been worth the dessert denial that my parents brought forth, lasting almost a month.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While walking around the corridors I saw quite a few house elves carefully cleaning the hallways. Of course Hogwarts would have servants of their own, and these ones seemed well cared for and loved. It was likely that the Hufflepuffs gave them some gifts of their own, but only if they promised to never speak of such gifts of kindness. Lottie was the same, not only offended when I tried to give her an opal ring at the age of four but very displeased that I spent money on her. It was the last time I ever tried to give my house elf, or any other elf, gifts that were not my simple respect and kindness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pureblood and half-blood students knew that house elves didn’t have the same social structures that muggles or wizards did. Many muggleborns would think this sort of servitude was unjust, but it was what they wanted more than anything. Lottie was there, by my side, since the day I was born, only being bought a few weeks prior to my birth. She was a devoted elf and I would often chat with her when I had nothing more to do. I knew that I gave her the best life she could live, so I had no guilt in my heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finding the right times to go down the stairs had been tough, as not getting caught was the most important part of this midnight retreat. If Filch were to find us, or Mrs. Norris for that matter, we would be screwed. It wasn’t like my parents would be upset, but I think Professor McGonagall’s disappointment is what every single student at Hogwarts fears most.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Waiting for the staircases to change, I notice two figures at the bottom. I could see nothing but white and blonde hair running through the halls, giggling as they did so. Trailing after them was none other than the devil himself, Argus Filch, who ran after them screaming, “I’ll tell Minerva all about you two brats! Just you wait and see!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taking this as my chance to not get caught by the screaming man, I run off into the Charms hallway, where I bumped into none other than Harry Potter. Again. The second time in the past week.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Vega?” It was Ronald Weasley who looked me up and down, helping me up and even dusting off my autumn coat. “What’re you doing out of bed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t even need to ask you why you’re here,” I mutter to myself, grabbing my wand, which had fallen out of my pocket when I fell to the floor. Thankfully no damage had been done to the finely crafted Alder wood, still pristine as the day I got it. “Just breaking a few rules, don’t mind me. I’ll be off somewhere if you need anything. For reference, Filch just ran down the hall, screaming at some girls, so I think you should be set for the night. Seemed pretty angry too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both boys exchanged shocked glaces before looking back at me. “Ravenclaws break rules? Since when?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Since the beginning of Hogwarts, Potter,” rolling my eyes, I start to walk off. “Staircases are changing in two minutes, so make your way up them now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not letting me leave, Ronald ran back to me, standing in my way as I tried to walk off. Sighing and moving some more, he completely blocked my way. Not wanting to literally shove him away from me as I tried to make where Draco and I planned to meet, which was outside near the Quidditch pitch, I sent him a menacing glare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really shouldn’t be out. Who are you meeting anyways? You have to be coming out for </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Clicking my tongue, I gave Ronald the fakest smile I could manage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When did you become so interested in my life? Who I am meeting is none of your concern since, by the looks of it, you’re here to meet someone as well. Have a good rest of your evening, Weasley,” I politely move him out of my way, finally able to walk past.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bloody mental. Bet she’s meeting up with Malfoy. He’s a bad influence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, but aren’t we supposed to be meeting Malfoy?”</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</span></li>
</ul><p>
  <b>It had taken me over</b>
  <span> twenty minutes to make my way down to the areas near both the Quidditch field and the Forbidden Forest, which was of course, </span>
  <em>
    <span>forbidden. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Right in the middle of one of the grassy areas that had not yet been muddied by the autumn showers stood one Draco Lucius Malfoy, who had his wand tucked in his coat pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Noticing me, he waved, a bright smile now on his face. Walking towards me, he pointed to the sky. “Can you see all of them up there? We never get to see this clearly during Astronomy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The stars are quite lovely this time of year, aren’t they?” I mused, settling myself down on the soft grass. “It’s much harder to see the beauty when Crabbe and Goyle are making star puns and Luna is trying to explain to me for the fiftieth time what exactly a Nargle is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nobody understands that girl,” he tutted, sitting next to me. “Nargles and Gulping Plimpies. What a load of-” I cut him off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No insults, they won’t get you anywhere. Especially not my Luna. She’s the sweetest person once you look past all of the stuff she believes in,” he looks down and shrugs. “Being quick to judge someone isn’t a habit you should keep past the age of seven. That’s what my father tells me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Some people deserved to be judged,” he mutters under his breath, lying down on the chilled grass below. “Lots of them, actually. Have you ever seen the worst of people yet? Merlin’s Valley is isolated from all people. Don’t you have to be personally invited inside to even be able to see the place? Can’t even be located on a map or by normal Wizarding measures.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve met many people who are worthy of negative judgement. That does not mean that I judge them right away. If that were the case, I wouldn’t be friends with you. Lord knows how many stories my father has told me about yours and all of the evil things he’s been a part of. You have to be able to think for yourself or else you’ll be vulnerable to all sorts of attacks. Simply giving those who are clearly willing to change the benefit of the doubt can be the greatest motivator of positive behavior,” I say, brushing off some grass that had found its way onto Draco’s black cloak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re the bloody nicest person I’ve ever met,” he whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hardly, Draco,” he scowls at my rejection of his compliment. “Although I suppose that some may see it as kindness. Decency is hard to come by these days.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finally, something negative to come out of your mouth,” He throws up his arms in the air. “Ooh, look at all of the constellations! There’s Cygnus and Andromeda!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the next hour or so I listened and watched as Draco gave me the histories of almost every star in the sky. Every constellation he could point out, he told the backstory of. Watching him get so excited about everything having to do with stars made me realize just how invested he was in Astrology. Just by listening I wondered if he ever wanted to make a living off the subject seeing as he loved it so much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you ever want to work in Astrology?” Draco gave me a puzzled look as I asked. “Well, you love the stars so much. Astrology has a lot of opportunity in our world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My father would disown me if I even mentioned the idea to him,” I frown. It wasn’t like I was suggesting he be a muggle bus driver for the rest of his life. There were so many fields in Astrology that would make a fine living.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your father sounds like a piece of work. You’re allowed to choose whatever job you want as long as you better the lives of the people around you,” my friend gave me a sad smile as he looked to the sky. “I mean, you could become a teacher here at Hogwarts when you’re older. Professor Sinistra is getting a bit older and by the time we’re all out of school she’ll be ancient.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She isn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>old,” he counters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And </span>
  <em>
    <span>that’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> not the point. What I’m saying is that you have the ability to choose the career that you’ll likely have for the rest of your life. No father or mother should dictate what you must do. They’ll be dead by the time that it matters most,” Draco sighs once more before looking around the field.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My father is a lot different than yours. When you fail, I doubt he goes off on you and takes away everything you’ve ever cared about. He’s demanding and short tempered, it’s best if I don’t anger him further by choosing what I like over what he wants,” I groaned at the horrifically toxic message. “Better to keep him tolerating me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Parent’s are supposed to love you through </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span>, even if you turn out to be an awful person, which you aren’t. He’s backwards is what he is. Has he ever said that he loves you or has said he’s proud of you?” Draco shakes his head sadly. “I don’t get it at all. My father says he loves me every night before bed and tells me he’s proud of me in every letter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wish I had a father like yours. Mine just slaps me with his wand whenever I touch his stuff,” I shake my head in exacerbation. “At least my Mum keeps me company whenever he gets annoying. Dobby is nice as well. Good lord, he probably hates me. All of my whining throughout the years must wear on him. Even the house elves we have must be annoyed with me by now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That can’t be true. Even if it was, that just means that he isn’t the right house elf for you. My Lottie has been by my side throughout the years and is loyal,” I smile at the memories that Lottie and I had made together, all of the mischief that I used to cause around the house. I was calm around others, but even I had a wild streak. “Try being nicer to him and I bet he’ll come through.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doubt it,” he denies, “Does everything he can to stay away from me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Again, try being </span>
  <em>
    <span>nice</span>
  </em>
  <span> and he may realize that you’re not a little kid anymore. House elves respect maturity more than anything. Try giving him food. House elves will let you give them food as gifts as long as the food isn’t too expensive or extravagant. Maybe some pumpkin pasties from the train when you go home for the holidays,” I suggest. “Holidays are coming up soon. I have no clue what I’ll get you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re getting me something?” he almost sounded shocked at the idea. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What? Friends give each other presents.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m your friend, Draco, and I give all of my friends and family gifts for Christmas. It’s the main clue that I’ve accepted someone as a friend. Also the reason why Weasley still calls me Vega, I haven’t given him a present since he spilled orange juice on me at age six.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keeping grudges, are we?” he joked, pushing me over on my side. I whine and move back to my back, glaring at him. “Come on now, I was just joking! Bloody hell, look at the sky. We’d best be going back or we’ll be too tired for classes. Ugh, we have Transfiguration today. Tomorrow? No, it’s at least two hours past midnight. How long have we been here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too long. Luna will be up sleepwalking by now and she’ll notice I’m still gone once she wakes up in our dorm,” Standing myself up, I brush off all of the excess grass from my cloak. Draco moved quickly, rising to his feet, before coming over and moving some of the grass away that had gathered in my hair. I blushed at the close contact, thankful that it was dark outside. “Make sure you don’t get caught.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t, I won’t.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Troll in the Dungeons</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Time had flown by far</b>
  <span> faster than I could have ever imagined. Now our last class before Halloween, Charms, would be quite the fickle. While I was doing very well in the class I was not so sure that many of my fellow students were. Often blowing things up before the end of the period, the last few hours of our day were often spent helping our head of house clean up the room after such explosive disasters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How people managed to do so poorly on their end of year tests, the ones right before we held exams, baffled me. Was it truly hard to not explode your feather or almost burn the face of your partner? Such feats would usually be considered excellent, but they only caused major chaos in the classroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco had sat next to me once again, which made many of his Slytherin </span>
  <em>
    <span>friends</span>
  </em>
  <span> glare at me from across the room. While my friend tried to placate them by glaring at them back, nothing would stop the barrage of eyes piercing into the back of my skull.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we’ve been practicing!” exclaimed our excited professor, who loved to start teaching us new spells whenever he could. Standing on top of a set of books like he did everyday to make sure that all students, no matter their height, could see us, he said, “Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too- never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said ‘s’ instead of ‘f’ and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The idea in theory was not that difficult, but many of the students in the room were struggling. Charm magic had proven itself to be a class that plagued the minds of students all throughout Hogwarts, some saying it was their hardest class. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Just swish and flick and you’ll be fine, Elodie, you’ve done this in the library before. Just swish and flick!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Wingardium Leviosa</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” I chanted, allowing the feathers we had been practicing with to float above my paper. The professor turned to me and gave me a wide smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great job, Miss Vega! Ten points to Ravenclaw! Now that everyone has an example, let us continue to work on our charmwork!” Many students looked at me before doing just as the professor asked them to do, studying the spell in their book and chanting when they were ready.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had taken over half of the class time for any students to even come close to being able to lift their feathers off of the table. One Ronald Weasley had been trying for some time, chanting, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Wingardium Leviosa,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” over and over again, whipping his wand around like an idiot. His desk partner, Hermione Granger, had gotten tired of it at some point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was a girl that I had seen many times in the Hogwarts library, studying away near Grindelwald and Dumbledore, a set of girls who should not be messed with even in the best of moods. The three Gryffindors seemed set in their desires to learn ahead of everyone else, something I admired.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger snapped at one point, unable to deal with the Weasley boy in his failed attempts at levitating his pure white feather.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re saying it wrong,” she said, annoyed, “It’s Wing-</span>
  <em>
    <span>gar</span>
  </em>
  <span>-dium Levi-</span>
  <em>
    <span>o</span>
  </em>
  <span>-sa, make the ‘gar’ nice and long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Weasley almost gawked at her straight and blunt tone of voice before rolling his eyes at her. “You do it, then, if you’re so clever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His desk partner rolled up the long sleeves of her robe and gulped before saying as she flicked her wand, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Wingardium Leviosa!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had in fact done it, with the feather floating about four feet above their desk. Weasley looked as if he had gone sour in the heart as she proved him wrong. Granger smirked at her accomplishment and Professor Flitwick clapped for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, well done! We have another student who has done it! Ten points to Gryffindor as well for Miss Granger’s display of talent!”</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</span></li>
</ul><p>
  <b>Besides the rest of class</b>
  <span> being quite boring, Draco and I were able to make conversation easily. His old group still stared at me like I was some sort of rabid dog, but their opinions didn’t need to affect my friendship with Malfoy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What I had learned about my new friend during these past few months had surprised me. Not only did he not care so much about blood purity than he let on, he also had a bunch of hobbies that nobody knew about. Loving to draw and learn French during his free time, Draco Malfoy was a boy that I would have never expected. With his abnormally blonde hair (although one could say that the Grindelwald girl had the blondest hair in all of Hogwarts, with hers being like snow and her skin matching) and blue grey eyes, Malfoy was a different kind of person in his own right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish that we could sit together during dinner,” he mused, kicking his feet as he walked with me down the halls, “At least your table is right next to ours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have plenty of time after dinner. I hear they’ve extended the first year curfew by an hour for tonight and this weekend. Dumbledore thought it was best for us to be able to hang out for Halloween,” Draco smiled and nodded, checking to make sure that he had all of his books.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What should we do tonight, then?” I shrugged, not knowing what I wanted to do with my time. It was the end of our short conversation, with both of us making our way into the Library for Tutoring Club.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cedric Diggory was already sitting with Longbottom and Luna, who were chatting away. I saw that Longbottom had a plant with him, one that I suspected Professor Sprout gave him to look after for the day. She had taken quite an interest in the boy who had trouble in almost all of his other classes, giving him extra lessons and even helping him with his other homework when he did not have a tutoring lesson after class.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Happy Halloween, everyone,” Cedric said as he got out a scroll from his potions textbook. “It’s only been review for our potions class and we’ve even been going over some of the potions we worked on in first year, so I thought it would be nice to bring my essay here with me today. Do any of you need help with homework or has McGonagall calmed down with the essays and long lessons?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Calmed down with those, but potions has been rough,” Longbottom admitted, looking through our potions textbook. “We’ve been learning the Pompion Potion. You know, the one that’s supposed to turn your head into a pumpkin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Diggory laughs before taking a look at the potion in his old school notes that he had been bringing. “Flitterby Moth, Bouncing Bulb, and Foxglove. Have you been having trouble with the Bouncing Bulb?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It just won’t ground without bouncing back and hitting me in the nose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Try and smash it on the table one or two times before grinding it with the mortar,” Cedric suggests, “Also make sure that you slice the Foxglove vertically as it could spew out poison that will send you to the hospital wing if it gets into your eyes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Cedric,” both Luna and Longbottom said at the same time, copying down his advice in their own notes. Draco did the same, although he was silent as he did so, only glancing over to the side every once and awhile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Our little tutoring sessions had been going well, and they would only get better after the holidays were over.</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>.¸¸.·♩♪♫ _______________ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·</span></li>
</ul><p>
  <b>Finding our way into the</b>
  <span> Great Hall, Draco and I made our way to our house tables, sitting down and waiting for whatever was to come. The Great Hall was dressed in </span>
  <em>
    <span>spooky</span>
  </em>
  <span> attire, many of the ghosts freely roaming around and chatting with their students. Bats fluttered around near the ceilings as food appeared on our tables.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just like the feast at the beginning of the year, there were so many different types of food that I could not name off the top of my head. I helped myself to some peach cobbler and carmel corn, which was in great demand at our table. Luna did the same, followed by Cho and Marietta. The four of us laughed and chatted away during the feast, making sure to not spill any of our food on our robes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When we only had a few more minutes left of our meal, Professor Quirrell, our D.A.D.A teacher, came rushing into the Great Hall. I had wondered why he was not there during the meal, but assumed that he just had other things to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pure terror plastered on his face, the professor ran to the Headmaster’s table and cried out, “Troll- in the dungeons- thought you ought to know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Our teacher fell to the floor, having fainted from terror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Students around me screamed and cried at the thought of a troll, including Cho. I stayed quiet, not wanting to make a scene. Looking behind me, I see Draco’s look of terror as he reaches over to our table, tugging at my robes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>troll</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” He whimpered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know there’s a troll, Draco,” I snapped, looking up to where our Headmaster was, “The teachers will deal with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>The Slytherin Common rooms are in the dungeons</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” He hissed, reminding me of where he was supposed to sleep for the nights. I gulped and nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Firecrackers exploded from where the Headmaster was, causing everyone to quiet their voices and listen to him. “Prefects, lead your Houses back to the dormitories! Teachers, let us head into the dungeons!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Penelope Clearwater hushed us all, “Come now, we have to get to the towers. It’s not like a troll could get up there anyways, they’re too stupid to climb stairs without help and we have a riddle as our passcode. Nothing to worry about, guys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sounded as if she was trying to calm herself more than everyone else, her voice a bit pitched as she guided us out of the Great Hall. Where the Slytherins would be going, I didn’t know. They were going to have to go somewhere other than the dungeons, as that was where the troll was supposed to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did a troll get in?” Luna asked, sticking close to me as we walked up to the Ravenclaw towers. “Are they not below average intelligence?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They are, but someone may have let it in as a stupid Halloween joke,” I theorize as Clearwater solved the latest riddle, allowing us to enter the common room we had come to know and love. “Come on, let’s just go up. I bet they’ll be able to explain what happened with the troll tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cho had to be calmed down by Lisa, who had to do some calming down herself. The two girls were tired once they had talked everything through, falling asleep far sooner than the rest of us. Marietta had done her best to conceal everything that she felt, but I could see the confusion and worry that plagued her face. Luna was much calmer than the three of them, only wondering how and when the troll had gotten inside the castle. It seemed that Luna’s carefree nature only upset Cho more, and the blonde Ravenclaw girl realized that, staying quiet after some theorizing of her own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When and how the troll got in was a question that Luna and I shared. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How does a magical creature like that just stroll into Hogwarts? On a holiday like Halloween, no less. It makes no sense. Someone must have let the creature in. Who would do something like that? I doubt a student would be able to pull something like this off, but that would raise suspicion to my teachers. If a Hogwarts teacher did this, would they be able to find out which one of them it was?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>I really didn’t want to think of any of my own teachers being able and willing to pull off something like this, but what other option did I have? The only logical answer was that a Hogwarts professor, perhaps multiple of them, did this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thinking of who it could be, I take out some of my notes from D.A.D.A, which would be the class that had the most information on magical creatures like trolls. </span>
  <em>
    <span>We learned about trolls earlier this year in D.A.D.A. Would professor Quirrell be willing to do this? What could he possibly have to gain from doing this? I don’t think… no, not even Snape would pull something like this, even if he looks like he hates his job more than his own life. Peeves hasn’t been known to become dangerous. This would be a dark wizard at Hogwarts. Who went dark and decided to put us in danger?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Flipping through some of my potions notes, I don’t see anything that the professor could have said to indicate he was willing to bring in a troll. Even the notes from Quirrell… None of it made any sense to me. There had to have been something that someone wanted. This whole troll business had to be a distraction, a plot to distract people from what they really wanted to </span>
  <em>
    <span>take.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Hogwarts was known to have many prized artifacts, including things from the founder’s era. Many students and perhaps some teachers would want to get their hands on one of them. It was also well known that when someone needed something stored, they would ask Hogwarts to hold it. Mostly powerful magic that shouldn’t get into the wrong hands. It was likely that one of these objects was placed in Hogwarts and someone else wanted it for themselves.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What could it be? What could someone want so badly that they would risk their lives in bringing a troll in the castle, in the dungeons? What could be so valuable? Something that powerful inside of Hogwarts… I hope that it’s safe. Whatever it is, I hope that they didn’t get their hands on it. No dark witch or wizard should have that kind of power.</span>
  </em>
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